


Aftermath

by SparkleQueen89



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: 90's Music, Affairs, Attempt at Humor, BAMF Hermione Granger, Bad Decisions, Dreams and Nightmares, Eventual Smut, Family Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Smut, Fred Loves Hermione, Fred Weasley Lives, Fremione - Freeform, Friends to Lovers, Good times, Guilty Pleasures, Hermione Loves Fred, Hot Chocolate, Ill Advised Hookups, Muggle Dancing, Multi, Mutual Pining, Nymphadora Tonks Lives, Partying, Perciver - Freeform, Percy doesn't suck, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Remus Lupin Lives, Seriously screw canon, Slow Burn, Underage Drinking, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, Weddings, fic crack, non Canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-21
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:35:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply, Underage
Chapters: 8
Words: 17,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23763949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SparkleQueen89/pseuds/SparkleQueen89
Summary: In the minutes after Harry Potter defeated Lord Voldemort, he shattered the elder wand, and the fifty five members of the Order of the Phoenix, Hogwarts Students and other rebels who had died, returned to life.This included Fred Weasley.After working with Harry, Minerva, and Kingsley to ensure Harry had not somehow created fifty five horcruxes, Hermione found herself being extra grateful for Freds return.As Fred and George work to reopen the shop, Hermione decides to make up for lost time, and spends the summer living at the Burrow, working to find her parents, and letting loose with her friends who are finally free from the War. Fred spends the summer working and watching her- wondering if she's really having the carefree summer she seems to be, or is Hermione putting on a show to hide what's really going on in her mind?
Relationships: Angelina Johnson/George Weasley, Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger/Fred Weasley, Luna Lovegood/Ron Weasley
Comments: 76
Kudos: 139





	1. The Summer of 98

**Author's Note:**

> Oh look, another fic I will probably write for a month and the forget about. Oops.  
> This was actually supposed to be a one shot for a friend of mine, but then I decided I liked where it was going. So I'm going to keep updating if I can.  
> I've been on a big fremione kick lately. So i figured I'd try my hand at it.  
> Let me know what you think!

**May 3rd, 1998. 3am.**

Hermione was sitting on the partially destroyed steps of the Hogwarts Entrance Hall. It was the first time she’d stopped moving in about 72 hours. She held the warm mug of hot chocolate that Madame Pomfrey had shoved in her hands, telling her to sit before she keeled over. The battle was over. Voldemort was destroyed, and they had attended to the injured. Including the Fifty Five- the fifty five members of Hogwarts students, rebels, and Order of the Phoenix fighters who had lost their lives, and then sprung back up as soon as Harry had beaten Voldemort. No one knew how it happened, and Harry, Hermione, and Ron had been working with Kingsley Shacklebolt and Minerva McGonagoll to make sure neither Harry or Voldemort had accidentally created any horcruxes.

Across the entrance hall, she could see Fred and George Weasley, sitting together, arms wrapped around each other. Fred was one of the Fifty Five, and Hermione didn’t think she’d ever stop thanking Merlin for whatever had brought him back. Wearily, she grabbed her wand, and floated two mugs of the hot chocolate over to the twins. They glanced at them and then across the hall to her. Smiling, they accepted them and raised them in toast. She raised hers back, but stayed where she was. She just needed some time to herself, and they needed a few moments alone as well.

**June 2nd, 1998.**

Hermione awoke that morning, her stomach feeling like a pile of dragon dung. Today was the day she would have to testify in front of the Ministry, and what was left of the Wizengamot. While the spell that had brought back the Fifty Five hadn’t brought back any of the defeated Death Eaters, there were still plenty out there that needed to be brought to justice. She sat up in bed, but before she could grab her robe, there was a light knock on her door.

“Come in,” she called, assuming it was Ginny. Much to Hermione’s surprise, Fred Weasley stuck his head in the door.

“Morning, Mione. Can I have a quick chat?” He asked. She nodded and he slipped into the room. He settled in the desk chair, and looked at a bleary Hermione up and down.

“Are you ready for today?” He asked her quietly. She shook her head.

“The war...what Harry and Ron and I did...it was what we had to do. But it’s over, and I just want this to be over so I can move forward.” Hermione told him, scratching her arm where the scar Bellatrix Lestrange had left on her was. Fred nodded, understandingly.

“I get that. I think we all want that. And I can’t make that happen, but I do have something else to give you.” He smiled. Reaching into his pocket, he handed her a small vial of a black and white potion, and a small tube of ointment.

“Pepper Up potion?” Hermione asked. Fred nodded.  
“Figured you probably weren’t doing the best this morning, and it couldn’t hurt.” He told her, smiling as she downed it in one. “The tube is something George and I are working on. It may not work. But it’s for the scar on your arm. I know the glamour hides it, but it doesn’t help the itching. We’re hoping this might. We’ve tested a few batches on ourselves, so we know that it won’t turn your hair purple or leave boils across your face, but let us know if it helps the itching and redness over the next few days.”

Hermione uncapped the tube and reached for her wand to lift the glamour charm. She saw Freds eyes narrow in anger as he saw the MUDBLOOD carved across her forearm. Gingerly, she rubbed a little of the ointment across it, and smiled at him.

“Thanks Fred. I appreciate it. Really.” She told him, smiling at him kindly. He smiled back, although it didn’t quite meet his eyes, advised her to apply the ointment 2 or 3 times a day, and left her to get dressed.

**July 1st, 1998.**

Ron sat down beside Hermione on the bench overlooking the pond at the Burrow. It was dusk, and the fireflies were starting to come out. Molly had decided everyone needed a night to relax and eat, and had thrown one of the biggest dinner parties she’d ever seen. It was nicer than all the official Ministry functions she’d been paraded about the last six weeks. Memorials, Celebrations, Award ceremonies. Tonight's dinner had been about family, and relaxing, and just being together.

“I think we should talk,” Ron said, handing her a butterbeer.

“Yeah, we probably should.” She agreed, taking a swig of the open bottle.

They sat in awkward silence as she collected her thoughts.

“I don’t think we are working romantically” She said

“I think we’re better as best friends” Ron said at the exact same time. They looked at each other and burst out laughing.

“Oh thank Merlin,” Hermione said, sipping her butterbeer.

“I love you Hermione, but you’re my best friend. And that kiss was awesome but...it wasn’t us.” Ron said. Hermione nodded.

“It was the stress of war and heat of the battle, I think.” She said, glancing into his bright blue eyes. He nodded. “Ron, you’re an amazing wizard and an even better best friend, and you’re going to make some witch very happy one day. But I’m not that Witch.”

“And I’m not the right Wizard for you.” He said. “I’m sorry. We should have talked sooner...but with everything going on, there hasn’t been time.”  
“It’s fine Ronald,” she told him, patting his leg. “We’d have sorted it out eventually.”

They clinked their bottles together in cheers, and then joined the calls to join a game of exploding snap from Ginny and Harry.

She spent the rest of the evening drinking butterbeer and laughing, as carefree as possible, with no idea that another set of sparkling blue eyes had been following her all evening, sipping firewhiskey next to his twin.

**July 15th, 1998.**

An owl was tapping at the window of his flat while Fred Weasley worked on a list of new potions ingredients he needed to order. He and George were hoping to have the joke shop reopened in time for the back to Hogwarts rush, and George was downstairs, stocking shelves with the product they’d already made. Grateful for the excuse to stretch, he opened the window and let the speckled owl in the kitchen window. She dropped her letter on the table, and headed over to the perch they had set up for a drink and a nibble, while she waited for a reply. Fred tore open the letter, addressed to him and George, and raised his eyebrow at the tidy scrawl inside.

_Fred and George,_

__

I hope my owl doesn’t disturb you and you’re both doing well. Ron says you’re gearing up to have the shop reopened soon, so I hope this doesn’t disturb you. I have a favour to ask, but I know how secretive you two are, so I will understand if you say no.

I really loved the ointment you gave me for my scar, but I’ve noticed the efficacy has been running out the longer I go. When Fred first gave it to me, I only really needed to apply it once in the morning and once in the evening. Now, I'm reapplying at lunch and dinner as well. So the favour- I was hoping you would let me see your ingredients list and development process. I have a few ideas on how to fix it, but I don’t want to step on any toes.

I hope the summer has been treating you well. Living at the Burrow with your Mum and Dad and Ginny and Harry has been wonderful. Next time you come for dinner, we’ll show you the enchanted zipline across the pond we’ve made! 

_Yours,  
Hermione xx_

Fred smiled, heading downstairs with a chilled pumpkin juice and the letter in hand for his twin. George took a sip of the juice gratefully and glanced over the letter, raising his eyebrows.

“Brightest Witch of her Age and War Hero Hermione Granger is making enchanted ziplines and wants to help us with product development?” He asked. Fred nodded, trying to hide his giant smile. George laughed at him.  
“Send her back the ingredients list and brewing process. Maybe she can help. I’ll floo Mum and let her know we’ll be at dinner this sunday. I want to see what that lot has been up to.” George said, draining the last of his pumpkin juice. “And then get back down here. We’ve got a whole shelf of Skiving Snackboxes to stock.”

_Hermione,_

Your letter was definitely not a disruption, and in fact, was a welcome distraction. The summer has been going well, although we have spent most of it brewing, making, packing and stocking. We should be up and running and are planning a grand reopening party on August 1st. You’re obviously invited, the whole family is, but I wanted to make sure you knew that included you.

As to your request- What makes you think we’d say no to Hermione Granger, brightest witch of her age? Any insight you have would be fantastic. I’ve included our ingredients, recipe and brewing process. George is going to floo Mum later and let her know we’ll be at Sunday dinner this week, so we can chat more then.

This might be a sore subject, and you can smack me around the head on our next visit for asking if it is, but I was wondering if there was any news on your parents? Is there any way George and I can help? Please feel free to ask.

Yours,  
Fred xx

 _PS- Enchanted ziplines? What’s gotten into you Granger?_

He couldn’t help but laugh when he received a quick reply that night, thanking him for the prompt reply, and telling him and George to make sure they brought their swim shorts to the Burrow on sunday.

**Sunday, July 18, 1998.**

“Wotcher, Mum.” Fred said, as he arrived on the floo, dusting the ashes off his robes. He stepped out of the way for George, and presented Molly with the bottles of wine they had brought. She smiled and put them on the table, accepting the bouquet of flowers that George and Angelina presented her.

“Where’s the motley crew you’ve got living here gotten to?” George asked, looking around.

“Oh well, dinner is going to be delayed because Bill and Charlie are running late, so they’ve gone to go swim and drink the firewhiskey they think I don’t know about,” Molly replied with a chuckle. 

“Firewhiskey? It’s 2 in the afternoon!” Fred said, astonished.

“Yes well, they’ve been through a lot. We all have. So they’re making up for lost time.” Molly shook her head and went back to the dinner she was prepping. She shooed the three of them out of her kitchen, smiling fondly at Angelina’s repeated offers to help.

Fred, George and Angelina headed down to the swimming pond to join their siblings. As they got closer they could hear weird music playing.

“Someones coming...shit is it Molly?” 

“Give me that flask here, hide it...shhhh”

They heard giggling voices as they approached the bend, and they came around the corner to the smiling faces of Ron, Ginny, Harry, Hermione, and Luna. 

“Oh it’s just you lot!” Ron said, his face flushed. Ginny ran over to her brothers and jumped on them, giving them big hugs and kisses. She wrapped her arms around Angelina as the twins greeted everyone else.

Fred glanced at Hermione and stopped dead in his tracks. Somehow, she’d gone from exhausted war hero to carefree beauty. Her normally frizzy curls were cascading down her back, she had a nice tan going, and the lime green bikini she had on made her eyes sparkle.

“Gred and Forge!” She giggled, “How nice of you to join us! Oh Angelina! Are you slumming it with these two again?”

Angelina laughed and gave Hermione a hug, laughing at her antics. Hermione hugged Fred and George in turn and grabbed their hands.

“Listen, Listen. I think I know what’s wrong with the ointment you gave me. And i think I can fix it but i will need some help. Is that okay?” She asked.

“That sounds great, Hermione. Why don’t you come by the shop this week and we can test it out?” George asked, raising his eyebrows at her. She grinned.

“Brilliant! It’s a date!”

“And this is supposed to be a party, Mione!” Ginny called, laughing at her. “Stop flirting with my brothers and turn the music back on!”

Angelina wrapped her arms around Georges waist as they watched Hermione practically flounce over to Ginny.

“She’s teaching them muggle dances” Angelina informed them. They conjured up a few more chairs and sat, joined by Ron and Harry with a couple glasses of whiskey, and watched as Hermione taught Luna and Ginny a silly muggle dance.

“Don’t tell Mum we’ve got this,” Ron told them, handing around the cups.

“She already knows, you numpty. It’s Mum” Fred replied, his eyes following the pattern Hermione was doing with her hands, moving them from the back of her head to her hips, then jumping and clapping.

“Hermione wants to take us to a muggle dance club sometime this summer,” Harry informed them. “Want to join us? Seamus, Dean, Lavender, Parvati are all in. You guys could invite Katie, Alicia and Oliver if you wanted?”

Angelina’s face lit up at that and George groaned. She laughed as Ginny and Hermione ran over, breathlessly, and grabbed their cups they’d hidden when they heard the twins on the path. Luna followed at a more sedate pace, and settled herself across Ron's lap. Fred raised his eyebrows at that, and Ron blushed, but still wrapped his arms around Luna's waist and kissed her shoulder as she leaned in to him.

“Gin, aren’t you too young to be drinking firewhiskey?” Fred asked. Ginny snorted.

“I’m almost of age, Freddie. Besides, I remember quite a few summers sneaking you potions to help your hangovers after you’d been out with friends growing up...so I’d say that’s the pot calling the kettle black a bit.” She replied. She put her cup back down on the stump they’d been using as a table and stripped off her shirt.

“I’m going back in the water. Anyone coming?” She called over her shoulder. Harry Ron and Luna followed, and after a quick debate, George and Angelina decided to go too. Hermione took the chair Angelina left, and collapsed next to Fred.

“So, Granger. Day drinking and enchanted ziplines? And now, muggle dance clubs?” Fred asked, teasing her. She grinned and shrugged, downing her drink.

“Don’t worry. I’ve been watering their drinks down without them knowing. We’re being silly but part of it is just knowing we don’t have to worry about anything anymore.” She told him. “We spent the last few years running and fighting and mourning and fighting more. It’s nice to just be teenagers for a bit.”

Fred looked at the girl beside him. It was hard to see her as the bookish 11 year old that had become friends out of nowhere with his little brother. She had helped save the world, and wasn't a little girl anymore, but it was hard to remember she wasn’t even nineteen yet.

“You had to grow up pretty fast,” Fred said softly. She leaned back and closed her eyes.

“We all did. We didn’t have a choice. We wouldn’t have made it through if we didn’t.” She said, keeping her eyes closed, and trying not to let her voice shake. “But Ginny goes back to Hogwarts in six weeks and then Harry and Ron start Auror training, and I hopefully leave for Australia just after that. So it’s nice to have this time, to pretend the world doesn’t exist, that we’re just kids sneaking booze behind our parents back and not giving a flying fuck about anything else.”

Fred threw his head back and laughed.

“Hermione Granger, did you just say a curse word? My my, it’s like I don’t know you at all.” He chuckled.

Hermione stretched out, smiling, locking her eyes with his as they followed the contours of her body. She leaned forward so their lips were almost touching and whispered.

“Trust me, Fred Weasley, you ain’t seen nothing yet.”

She pushed him back laughing and he stared at the brunette, stunned.

“Come on. I’ll show you the zipline. It goes from a platform above the treehouse to another platform across the pond, but we’ve enchanted it to randomly drop people in the water.” She twirled as they walked, her steps seeming as light as air.


	2. A Day with the Twins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hermione spends the day at WWW and then crashes at the Twins flat for the night.
> 
> Trigger Warning for nightmares and panic attacks

**Wednesday, July 20th**

Hermione sat on the workbench in the twins potion brewing room, singing a muggle song while she watched the new formula for the ointment stew. George was out front closing down the shop, and Fred was bottling daydream potions, smiling as Hermione sang.

George wandered into the back and offered Hermione and Fred each a glass of white wine. She hesitated, and George raised his eyebrows.

“I don’t usually drink if I know I have to apparate or floo,” she said.

“Well that’s easily solved, stay for supper and you can sleep in our spare room.” George said. “Come on, Hermione. This is the least we can do for all the help you gave us today.”

Hermione smiled and accepted the glass, taking her first sip as Fred sealed the last bottle.

“Right. Let’s head upstairs and we can relax, and then we’ll get dinner sorted.” He said, hanging his apron on the back of the door. Hermione checked the cauldron with the new ointment formula in it and smiled.

“Provided nothing goes wrong in the middle of the night, it should be ready in the morning.” She told the twins. Hanging her apron beside Freds, she followed the boys to the flat above the shop that they were living in. 

She smiled in delight when she saw the living room. It had wide picture windows overlooking Diagon Alley, letting in a ton of light. The wall opposite the windows was taken up by a plush, purple, over sized, wraparound sofa. The living room opened up into the kitchen, which led on to the rooftop patio the twins often drank on with their friends now that they could. Straight on from the kitchen was a well lit hallway, leading to the bedrooms and bathroom. Fred gave her a quick tour while George sorted dinner.

“How do you feel about kebabs and Greek salad and pita?” He asked, when they returned to the kitchen. Hermione blinked in surprise.

“That sounds wonderful! Where are we ordering from?” She asked. George grinned.

“I’m barbecuing, actually. Fred, grab the wine. Hermione, right this way.” He replied, leading them on to the patio. There were several bean bag chairs and a low couch surrounding a low table. The sun was blocked by a large umbrella, and at 7pm it was the perfect time to be outside. Behind the couch were tables covered in flowers and herbs, which Fred explained, they grew for the items that required them in the shop. 

“It’s a bit less expensive and this way we know they haven’t been treated with anything dodgy,” He explained, as Hermione sniffed and the lavender on the edge of the table closest to her. George fired up the grill, and Hermione jumped at the loud crackling that started.

“Just the grill love, it’s okay.” Fred said quietly, as he saw the panicked look in her eyes. She nodded and he continued. “Why don’t we go sit?”

He led her back to the couch, and handed her the glass of wine she’d been sipping. George came and sat opposite them and grinned.

“How about a quick round of truth or dare?” He asked, pulling out a deck of cards from his pocket.

“Oh no. Definitely not. Not with you two. Those cards are probably charmed so you can’t lie, aren’t they?” She asked. Fred and George laughed.

“You are much too perceptive. Alright, here I have regular muggle cards, why don’t we play a couple rounds of blackjack, for fun?” Fred said, while George pouted.

“Who’s going to deal?” Asked Hermione. Fred tapped the cards, and they immediately sprang to life, shuffling and dealing themselves.

“Very impressive.” She said, grinning as he refilled her wine glass. The trio spent the next three hours eating, chatting, and playing cards. Just after 10, Hermione stretched and yawned.

“About that time then?” George said, tapping the cards with his wand, sending them back into the box. She nodded apologetically.  
“I’m sorry. Tonight has been so fun. But four glasses of wine makes me sleepy and I’m meeting Charlie and Percy at the Ministry tomorrow at 1045.” Hermione said.

“Why are you meeting those two at the ministry?” Fred asked, curiously, as they carried the dishes into the kitchen. They set them in the sink and he charmed them to clean themselves overnight.

“Oh, they’re helping me arrange the portkeys and papers I need to get to Australia. Charlie says travelling through that many time zones at once can be very disorienting so i’m going to go to Romania with him, spend the night, and then head on to Australia from there. But i need papers of course, and a passport, to travel internationally.” She explained.

“Are you going to be okay by yourself in Australia?” Fred asked, concerned. She raised her eyebrows at him.

“No, absolutely not. I didn’t just spend a year on the run, fending for myself. I’m entirely incapable of handling Muggle Australia alone.” She said.

“I just meant...I know you can handle yourself, but you should have someone there to lean on...it’s going to be hard emotionally.”

Her face softened at the concerned look on Fred's face, and she squeezed his hand.

“I’ll be okay, I promise. Once I locate my parents, I’ll send for someone here, and they’ll help me remove the memory charms, if they are able to be removed.” She said.

“And if they can’t be?” He asked, softly. Hermione shrugged, and looked at her feet. Before she could respond, George came down the hall, announcing that he’d let Molly know Hermione was spending the night, and that the guest bedroom was all hers.

“Thanks George. And thank you both for dinner and the wine, I had a lot of fun tonight.” She kissed both the boys on their cheeks, before heading to the bathroom to brush her teeth and change her clothes. Her beaded bag was on the nightstand and she smiled, thinking that it was still coming in handy.

**Thursday, 2 am**

Hermione was screaming. Fred could hear her, the bedroom she was in shared a wall with his bedroom. He knew the Burrow had silencing charms on them, but they had forgotten to put one on the guest bedroom here.

Fred vaulted out of bed and ran into the hallway, almost crashing into George. They opened the bedroom door and cast quick shield charms, in case Hermione tried to hex them when she awoke.

George kept a shield around him and his twin, as Fred reached for Hermione.

“Hey love, come on, wake up, it’s okay, you’re having a nightmare” He called. She was thrashing around on the bed. He reached over and grabbed her, hands slipping on her sweaty figure. After a moment of holding her and calling her name, her eyes shot open. She grabbed her wand and scrambled back, standing on the head of the bed, back against the wall. Fred took a step back as the scared witch brandished her wand.

“Hey, Hermione, it’s okay, it’s us, you’re safe.” Fred called, holding up his hands. Hermione glanced around the room wildly, trying to catch her breath, taking in Fred and George, who was still casting a shield charm around him and his brother.

“Oh merlin. Oh, I’m so sorry.” Hermione slid down until she was sitting on the bed and began to cry. Fred cautiously approached her, asking before he sat down beside her. He pulled her into a hug and rubbed her back as she cried and repeated her apologies. George slipped out of the room, unnoticed by the pair on the bed. They stayed like that for a few minutes until Hermione’s breathing evened, and she pulled away.

“Fred, I'm so sorry. I should have made sure there was a silencing charm on the bedroom. Did I hurt you? Did I hurt George?” She asked, beginning to panic again.

“Hey hey shhh. You didn’t hurt anyone. We’re fine. And I'm kind of glad there was no charm because I hate the idea of you waking up alone!” Fred said quickly, blushing when he realised the innuendo. Before he could apologise, George cleared his throat from the doorway. Holding up two steaming mugs he stepped in, handing one to Fred and the other to Hermione.

“Hot chocolate. Always helps after a nightmare. I’ll leave you two to talk.” He smiled at them. Hermione slid out of bed to hug him and say thank you before he left. She settled back on the bed, a pillow behind her, and patted the bed so Fred would come sit beside her.

“Do you want to talk about it?” He asked quietly, as they sipped their hot chocolate. She shook her head.

“No. It’s still too fresh.” She said, closing her eyes. “Our time on the run...the things we did and saw and fought...it’s never going to go away. And sometimes I think I’m still running. That nights like tonight, relaxing and fun, are just dreams. And I'm going to wake up, back in our tent, with Ronald snoring and Harry muttering in their sleep and realise the war is still happening.”

A few tears slipped down her cheek, and she wiped them away with an air of impatience. Fred put his mostly empty mug down on the side table and wrapped his arm around her. She leaned in to him, allowing him to comfort her. He didn’t say anything, but fished out his wand, and aimed it at the ceiling.

After a moment, the ceiling was lit up, with a scene from Paris, people walking around in the sunshine, chatting, laughing, as if they were looking out a window. 

Hermione's jaw dropped. She turned in awe to stare at Fred, who grinned sheepishly and shrugged.

“It’s similar to the charms they use for the windows in the Ministry. A happy accidental discovery from when we were making the daydream charms.” He shrugged. Hermione laughed.

“Fred this is brilliant.” She cried, squeezing his hand. She lay down beside him and pointed at the ceiling, talking to him about the places she had been when she visited Paris with her parents. He flipped it to a scene in Egypt, talking about visiting Bill there and the Pyramids, and seeing the eyes of the Sphinx move and not realising muggles didn’t know they did that. They continued to talk, Hermione holding his hand the whole time until she fell asleep. He slowly moved, so he wouldn’t wake her, but felt her grip tighten.

“Stay, please” She whispered. “It feels safer with you here.”

He slid back in the bed, swallowing any thoughts that popped in against the arrangement and pulled the covers over them. He closed his eyes, listening to her breath even out, and was asleep beside her before he knew it.


	3. Out at Lunch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hermione discovers being a War Hero has some perks.  
> Percy confesses who he's dating.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone. This chapter is sort of filler and exposition. I had originally wanted it to be part of chapter 2, but it didn't really fit, so I gave it it's own quick chapter!

**July 21st 1998**

Hermione hurried through the bustle of the Ministry, headed for Percy’s office. She was grateful that he and Charlie were going to help her deal with the Department of Magical Transport, but being in the Ministry itself still made her anxious. She took a deep breath, stepping into the elevator and hoping she’d be early. Percy had become less of a tightass after the war, but she still wanted to make a good impression.

Stepping out on the sixth floor, she hurried down the hall, until she reached the office door with the name Percy Weasley-Junior Undersecretary on the silver name plate. It was closed so she knocked quickly and waited. Three minutes later, the door opens the reveal a flushed Percy Weasley.

“Hermione! Lovely to see you, you’re right on time, uhm, come in, sorry I’m just finishing up with my last appointment” Percy rambled, as he invited her into the office. She stepped in and glanced around at the warm room, eyes landing on none other than Oliver Wood.

“Oh! I’m so sorry- I can wait outside if you like!” She said going to take a step backwards. Percy shook his head and shut the door.

“Actually, I’m just going, it’s no worry.” Oliver said. He nodded to Percy, shuffling awkwardly. “Uhm, I’ll just...uh, I’ll owl those papers and that information to you and we can meet again on Monday then. Thanks Percy.”

He hurried out of the office, nodding quickly to Hermione, and Percy watched the door click shut for a second time, staring at it for a moment, then smiling at Hermione.

“Right, would you like a cup of tea while we wait for Charlie then?”

He bustled over to the side, where he had tea and fresh scones waiting for them, and fumbled about with the tea bags for a minute.

“Percy? Did I interrupt something that was...not strictly ministry business just now?” Hermione asked softly. Percy’s ears went red, and he looked up at her startled.

“No, what makes you say that?” He asked, dropping the teabag. She smiled.

“Because Oliver's shirt was buttoned crooked and your fly is undone.”

Percy dropped his gaze, horrified at the zipper on his pants, which was unfortunately, not done up. He turned and fixed it quickly, his whole face as red as his hair.

“Hermione listen...my family doesn’t know yet. Not just about Oliver, but about me at all. Please don’t say anything, I’m begging you.” Percy begged, looking as though he was about to cry. Hermione hurried over, and gave him a quick hug.

“Percy, this is your life and your secret to tell. No one will hear it from me, and you tell your family when you’re ready.” She told him softly. He smiled weakly, a tear slipping down his face.

“Thank you...it’s hard keeping this secret. Oliver wants me to come meet his parents for dinner this weekend, and he wants to come to the Burrow before everyone leaves for school and training to tell everyone. He doesn’t want rumours flying around throughout the season, and the signings are all done, so he just wants to be out with it...but not a lot of people are okay with this kind of lifestyle.” Percy told her, turning back to the tea tray, and pouring a cup of tea for them both. They sat on the couch facing each other and Percy looked at Hermione anxiously.

“I know that a lot of people have some backwards views, but the way I see it, is that love is love...and just like we can’t help having magic, we also can’t help who we love. If you love Oliver, and you want to be with him, that’s your business alone.” Hermione said slowly. “I know you have a difficult relationship with your family...but I also know they all really want to make that better. I think they’d be happy to know the truth, to be honest.”

A knock on the door interrupted them, and Hermione got up to open it, so Percy could have a minute to compose himself. Charlie's bright smile and sparkling eyes greeted her on the other side. He wrapped Hermione in a tight hug. They’d become close with her living at the Burrow, discussing much needed changes to the laws surrounding magical creatures, and the way they were treated. He’d helped her set up the zipline across the pond, and they’d spent many nights sitting outside by the fire together when sleep didn’t seem to want to come.

“Morning love. How are you?” He asked. She smiled, replying that she was fine, and turned to see a fresh faced and calm Percy. He nodded at her and she stepped aside, letting Charlie in the room.

“Morning Percy. How’s the Ministry treating you lately?” He asked, shaking his brother's hand. They jumped into a quick conversation about inter department drama as Percy fixed his brother a cup of tea. Charlie handed Hermione a stack of papers that he said she needed to sign and she quickly looked over them.

“It’s all the applications for portkeys and a wizarding passport. I’ve filled out all the information on when and where we are going up until Romania, and then you just have to state your reason for travelling and what your final destination is going to be, as well as an anticipated return date if that’s applicable.” Charlie told her.

“Put it in for a month after your departure date.” Percy advised her. “You're much more likely to be approved by a foreign ministry if you have a return date. They don’t want people loitering, and anything more than 30 days requires you to get proof from Gringotts of your vault balance to show that you can support yourself there.”

Percy and Charlie walked her through the different forms, telling her where to sign and what keywords to use. It took almost half an hour, and then they headed down to the Department of Magical Transportation.

Once there however, it seemed all the tricky wording on the paperwork was a waste of time. Once they put in her requests, they received a memo from Kingsley Shacklebolt telling them to issue her a passport immediately and approving all portkeys, and he would personally sign off on them.

“I guess being a war hero comes with some perks, eh?” Charlie said, winking at her. A harried looking clerk handed Hermione a large envelope and instructed them to take it straight to the ministers office. The trio headed up to the 11th floor, which only had the Minister for Magics office on it. His secretary told them to go on in, that he was expecting them.

15 minutes later, Charlie and Hermione had all the approvals for the portkeys that they needed, Hermione had her passport ready to go, and Kingsley had told her he’d contact the Australian Minister himself and explain the situation, and he’d let Hermione know if they approved her travel request as soon as he heard.

“It’s the least I can do,” He told her. “And if you need help at all, you come and ask me.”  
They were ushered out of the office and headed back to Percy’s office where they had left their coats.

“Thank you both so much for your help!” She said brightly. “I’m meeting the Twins for lunch at the Leaky- would you like to join us? My treat, as a thank you for all your help.”

Charlie accepted immediately, and Percy hesitated for a moment, before Charlie clapped him on the shoulder, and told him to come along. They left, Percy locking and warding his office door, and headed to the Atrium to floo.

The Twins were already at the Leaky Cauldron, sitting with Harry, and chatting over butterbeers. The table enlarged as Percy, Hermione, and Charlie joined them. Hermione hugged Harry and Ron tightly, before sliding in beside Fred.

Tom the barkeep brought over menus and a round of butterbeers for the newcomers, and Fred slipped Hermione a silver tube.

“Packaged it this morning. Let me know how it works.” He told her, smiling at her. She nodded her thanks, and slipped the new scar cream into her bag. They ordered lunch, almost everyone getting the fish and chips, except Hermione and Percy, who ordered beef dip.

Conversation rounded the table about how the shop was shaping up for the grand re-open, what Ron and Harry were doing to prep for Auror training, and cycling over to Percy.

“So, Percy, how’s the Ministry these days? Anything top secret we should know about?” George asked, laughingly, as they tucked into their food. Percy dropped his knife and fork on the table, startled at Georges' query.

“Secret? What. No. Why would you think I have a secret?” He said a little too fast. Eyebrows around the table were raised. 

“Well, I asked about the Ministry secrets, but now I'm wondering if you actually do have something you aren’t telling us.” George said through a mouthful of battered fish. Percy looked desperately at Hermione, who smiled and nodded encouragingly. Percy glanced around the pub, before casting a muffliato over the table. Making sure no one could hear them, he looked down at the table.

“Uh...I have been keeping something from everyone.” He told them. Taking a deep breath, he raised his eyes, and looked around the table.

“I’m Gay.” He said quietly. Hermione grinned at him, and reached across Charlie to squeeze his hand. The table was quiet for a moment before Harry opened his mouth.

“Well, I am glad you told us.” He said, kindly, smiling at Percy. Everyone agreed, they were happy he told them.

“This doesn’t change how we feel about you, Perce.” Fred added. “Although it does give me an idea for a line of pride themed items for the shop. Fireworks for coming out, rainbow flags that get bigger and brighter if people yell at you…”

The twins began scribbling on a napkin with new ideas, and Percy looked so relieved he almost cried again. He tucked in to his beef dip, almost choking when Charlie added to the conversation.

“Well, on the current topic, and not to steal your thunder Percy, but I’m bisexual.” He said, shrugging, throwing some chips into his mouth. The table went quiet for a moment and then chatter broke out amongst the group about how that wasn’t surprising. Charlie laughed and turned to Percy.

“So, you got a bloke you’re seeing? I know a few guys on the reserve if you’re interested…” He said, raising an eyebrow.

“Actually, I am. We’ve been together since just after the Battle..” Percy said. Hermione recast the muffliato, to make sure they still had privacy, and after further prompting on who Percy was dating, he finally confessed.

“Oliver Wood.”

The table descended into silence as everyone stared at him. Hermione grinned at him and broke the silence.

“I’m really happy for you, Percy.” She said.

The rest of the table exploded.

“Oliver Wood? Quidditch Captain Oliver Wood? Plays for The Manchester Moonbeams, Oliver Wood? Being tapped to play for the England Quidditch Team- that Oliver Wood?” Ron asked, shocked.

“One and the same.”

“Blimey...I didn’t think you had such good taste!” Fred joked, raising his butterbeer in Percy’s direction. “Does Mum know yet?”

“No...You’re the only ones who know.” He told them. “I’m trying to figure out when to tell her.”

The group was quiet again, everyone contemplating how the Weasley matriarch might react to the news.

“Bring him to my birthday party next weekend,” Harry suggested. “There will be a fair amount of other Hogwarts and Order members around, so you can get it all over with quickly, and lots to distract Molly with if it doesn’t go well. But, I think it will”

Percy grinned at Harry.

“Thank you. That’s a brilliant idea. I’ll ask Ollie what he thinks tonight.” Percy said, finishing the last of his food, and turning to Charlie. “Now, are you seeing any of these blokes you mentioned? Or am I the only one with a dating confession today?”

The group around the table laughed, the tension easing, and Hermione signalled for another round of drinks. Fred watched her as she listened to Percy talk about Oliver, noticing the tightness in her shoulders, and the way her smile never quite met her eyes. 

He’d have to do something about that, Fred thought to himself. If anyone deserves to be happy, it’s Hermione Granger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Love Wins!! Yay!!


	4. Ministry Birthday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a filler. They have a dinner at the ministry and Hermione and Ginny talk about Fred.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone.
> 
> This chapter is sort of filler. I had an idea for what I wanted it to be but nothing was working. So we get some Weasley Twin silliness and some BFF time with Ginny and Hermione.  
> Drama will resume in the next chapter, I promise!

**Friday, July 31st, 1998**

“I don’t understand why we have to do this.” Ron grumbled, tugging at the collar of his new dress robes.

“Because it’s Harry and Nevilles birthdays and the ministry wants to acknowledge that. And we are their friends and we are going to support that.” Hermione said firmly, pulling out her wand. “Now stand still”

She muttered a quick charm and adjusted the collar on his robes. He stopped fidgeting and sent her a grateful smile.

“Thanks, Mione. I have no idea what I’d ever do without you.” 

Hermione snorted at that, and turned back to the mirror to check her hair and make up. They were in a makeshift dressing room at the Ministry, waiting to attend a dinner thrown in the honour of Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom, heroes of the wizarding world.

“Wow Ronniekins, look at you all grown up!” A cheery voice called from the door. Hermione saw the reflection of Fred, leaning in the doorway in his dress robes. They were neon green and so bright it almost hurt her eyes. She burst out into laughter and quickly covered her mouth and turned back to the mirror covering her mouth. Fred sauntered over to her and leaned over her, crossing his arms. 

“Something amusing Miss Granger?” He asked, staring her down. His mouth was set in a serious line, but she could see the sparkle in his eyes that meant he was joking.

“Not at all, Mr. Weasley, in fact, I was just thinking how handsome you look in your robes.” She said. “You’re going to be the belle of the ball tonight.”

“What about me!” A voice called, and Hermione looked up to see George in neon purple robes. Hermione grinned.

“Well, now I can’t decide!” She laughed. Fred frowned and tugged on one of her curls. She swatted his hands away and summoned a few glasses.

“Here. We’re gonna need this.” She reached into her beaded bag and pulled out her firewhiskey flask. She poured each of them a glass and handed them out. 

“Mione, you really are the brightest witch of your age.” George grinned at her. Ron nodded emphatically, downing his glass in one sip and then turning to George to ask if he could charm his robes like the twins. Fred swirled his drink and looked at Hermione.

“Are you okay?” He asked her quietly, as she sipped hers. She cocked her head and smiled.

“Of course I am! Why wouldn’t I be?” She asked, her voice a little too high. Fred shrugged.

“You always seem to have that flask with you. And after the other night, with the nightmares...I’m just worried about you, that’s all.”

She frowned at him, glanced at George and Ron, and let her shoulders sag.

“I don’t do well with crowds,” She confessed. “Not since the battle. I can’t...it just helps take the edge off. The calming draughts are too strong and I’m not aware enough and I need to be alert. A firewhiskey or two helps take things down without me having to sacrifice my abilities in case of a fight.”

Fred nodded, sympathetically. It had only been a few months since the battle. Hermione was only 18, and she was a war hero. He could understand it.

“Listen, I get it. I do. But this is a dark road you’re going down.” He told her. “We’ll figure something else out. Maybe we can tweak the calming draught recipe, or do something with our daydream charms to help. I’m sure it would help a lot of people. And I want to help you. But you can’t keep drinking to deal with everything. Okay?”

Hermione was saved from replying by the door opening, and Harry, Ginny, Neville, and Luna entered the room. Ginny immediately burst into laughter at the twins ridiculous robes. 

“That’s amazing.” Harry said, grinning. “Maybe people won’t talk about me”

“That’s the point, Harry, Darling,” George said, clapping him on the shoulder. Neville grinned at the twins, grateful for their presence. They were always a welcome distraction at these events. He gave Hermione a hug, doubly grateful that she was accompanying him as his date, so he didn’t have to come alone or with his Gran- again.

A bell sounded, tinkling just outside the door, signalling for everyone except the guests of honour to take their seats.

“See you in there!” Fred called cheerfully, glancing back at Hermione. She gave him a wicked smirk.

“You’ll be hard to miss!”

**Saturday, August 1st.**

Hermione stretched and groaned. They hadn’t made it back from the stupid ministry dinner until around midnight. Normally, she could handle the late nights, but she didn’t like the tedium of the speeches. She was grateful for the twins, who’s sporadic fireworks displays would often interrupt some rambling bureaucrat and keep everyone aware and awake.

At least today will be an easy day. The family and guests were expected around 3pm, they were going to relax, swim, play Quidditch, and celebrate Harry’s birthday. She had promised Ron and Ginny she would teach them to make s’mores and already had a stash of toppings hidden in her room, to be sure Ron would get the full experience and not eat it all before tonight.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a light knock on the door, and Ginny stuck her head in.

“Did I wake you?” The redhead asked. Hermione shook her head no. Ginny slipped into her room and climbed under the covers next to her.

“What time is it?” Hermione asked.

“Half past eight. Mums in the kitchen cooking breakfast and getting ready for tonight. Harry asked her for a chocolate strawberry cake and she is thrilled because he never asks her for anything specific. So she’s in a tizzy and I came here to hide and interrogate you.”

“Interrogate me? About what?”

The two girls rolled to face each other, used to each other's movements. The two weeks immediately following the battle, they’d shared a room, and usually a bed. The scars and nightmares were way too fresh for them to sleep alone. Then things had started getting back to normal, Ginny and Harry resumed their relationship, and Hermione took over one of the few empty bedrooms at the Burrow.

“About what’s going on with your and my brother.” Ginny said, raising her eyebrows.

“Rons dating Luna,” Hermione replied, confused. Her friend laughed and poked her in the side.

“Not that brother, you numpty. Fred. One of my other brothers. The twin who still has both ears? Somewhat handsome if you ignore the pranks and the fact he’s my brother?” 

“Nothings happening between me and Fred.” Hermione told her, firmly.

“I call gnome crap. I have it on good authority that you and him shared a bed when you stayed there the other night. And he couldn’t take his eyes off you last night at the dinner.”

“Who told you about us sharing the bed?” The bushy haired witch demanded from her friend.

“You did. Just now. But I suspected it.” Ginny laughed, until Hermione pushed her out of the bed. She hit the floor with a thud, but still continued to giggle.

“I had nightmares. I had forgotten to put a silencing spell on the door. Fred came and sat with me and showed me a few charms and things he was working on for the shop, and we fell asleep beside each other. That’s it.” 

Ginny smirked at her best friend. She knew Hermione had harboured a crush on Fred for a while at Hogwarts, conflicted by her feelings for Ron. And she knew Fred had always had a soft spot for Hermione, even since she was a first year. For one, she was their little brother's best friend. That made her a Weasley right off the bat. Secondly, ever since Fred had pranked Ron for what he said to Hermione at the Yule Ball, she knew Fred cared for her.

“Well, for the record, I think there is more between you two than you realise. But i will understand if it’s not something you want to explore. Now let's get up- Mums making clotted cream and scones for breakfast and I want to get down there before Ronald eats it all.”

Ginny held her hand out to Hermione, pulling her from the bed. They intertwined fingers and walked down the stairs, signaling to each other that they were safe and happy, and not upset with anything the other had said or done. Although, Hermione was finding it difficult to shake the thoughts of something happening between herself and Fred from her mind.


	5. Manners and Magic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Molly and Arthur meet Percy's boyfriend. The twins reopen the shop. Fred starts realizing something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a little rambly, I'm sorry! I hope you enjoy it.

**August 1st, Evening**

Hermione and Ginny were laughing so hard they couldn’t breathe. Fred and George were grinning proudly, and Ron was sitting grumpily on a log, having been turned into a toad. Hermione had been suspicious when George offered Ron a candy before anyone else, so she waited a beat before accepting anything out of the box. Ron had swallowed the toffee, and in the middle of a sentence, had let out a large burp like noise, and suddenly, where he had been sitting, was a very angry looking toad. 

“Oi, that wasn’t funny!” He said, two minutes later, once he had become himself again. Hermione and Ginny were wiping the tears from their eyes.

“Yes it was!” Hermione giggled. Ron glared at her.

“You’re supposed to be on my side you know!”

“The best part is the person who developed these. Any guesses as to who that was?” Fred asked him, high fiving George on a successful test.

“One of you two barmy idiots, obviously!” 

“It wasn’t us. It was our new Product Development Specialist.” George said, wrapping an arm around Hermione's shoulder. Rons jaw dropped.

“You’re working for the twins?” He said, shocked. “I always wanted to work with you guys making stuff”

“Ron, you’re going to be an auror.” Hermione reminded him. “And it’s just part time. I leave for Australia in September, and I needed something to keep me focused until then, and with the shops grand re-opening tomorrow, they needed someone who could handle making products without hurting themselves or burning the place down. Plus, it’s a lot of potions brewing and you hate brewing potions, even outside of class”

“I guess that’s alright then,” he said. “But why’d you have to try it out on me?!”

“Cause it was funny.” Hermione snickered.

Ron was prevented from replying with the arrival of Percy and Oliver. They shook hands with Oliver, him giving Hermione a kiss on the cheek.

“Thank you for persuading him to do this.” He told her. “I didn’t want to go in to the new season with this a secret.”

“I didn’t persuade him. He wanted to do it. He just wasn’t sure about the reactions of this lot.”

“Is that Oliver Wood?!” A voice called out from the doorway.

“Charlie! Good to see you man!” Oliver called, squeezing Hermiones shoulder one more time. He and Charlie hugged, slapping each other on the back.

“Still slumming it with my brother?” Charlie asked. Percy frowned, his ears going red, but Oliver replied before Percy could.

“Trust me Charlie, if anyone is slumming it, it’s your brother. He’s handsome and brilliant, and all I do is fly a broom and catch balls”  
“Yes, you’re quite good with balls, so we are hearing,” Fred said.

“Yeah, you like to juggle a nice pair of bludgers, don’t you.” George commented, smirking

“Oh come on you two,” Hermione said. “These comments are scrotally unacceptable!”

Everyone stared at her, shocked, before they burst out laughing. Percy had a half smile on his face.

“I expected better from you, Hermione.” He said, shaking his head.

“I blame these two,” Hermione pointed at the twins. “I spend far too much time with them it seems.”

Oliver wrapped an arm around Percy’s waist, tugging him close and kissing his cheek. Percy turned and caught Oliver's lips in a small kiss. He was about to say something when they heard Molly shout.

“Percy Weasley!” She said, standing in the doorway, staring at him. Everyone froze as the Weasley Matriarch glared at Percy, Arthur hovering behind her, not sure what to say.

“I know I raised you to have proper manners. And that includes coming inside to greet your mother, and introduce your boyfriend before you start up with this lot. Now. Both of you. Come inside.” She turned and huffed back into the kitchen. Oliver's easy grin faded from his face, and he glanced at Percy. He swallowed and grabbed his boyfriend's hand.

“Right then. Into the dragons den.”

Everyone in the group cringed, worried about what was going to happen when Percy came out to his parents, and introduced Oliver as his boyfriend. Fred cleared his throat and clapped his hands.

“Right. Let’s not stand here staring. I’m gonna go get drinks. Anyone want anything?” He asked the group. Most of them shook their heads and settled back into their seats around the fire pit.

“Mione? Can i get you anything to drink?” Fred asked, catching her wrist. She looked into her empty cup and smiled at him.

“A refill on that pink lemonade would be great” She said, offering him her cup. He smiled back and hurried away, not sure why his stomach was fluttering. He probably needed to eat.

In the kitchen, Molly and Arthur were sitting across the table from Percy and Oliver. Percy was fidgeting with the table cloth, not sure what to say. He knew he had to break the silence, his mother never would, and she could wait it out.

“Uh..so, uhm, Mum, Dad, uh this is my...that is to say i’m...uh, this is…” He swallowed and glanced at Oliver, who gave him a small smile. “This is my boyfriend, Oliver. I’m gay, as you probably figured out.”

Arthur Weasley smiled at his son across the table, reaching over to shake Olivers hand.

“It’s nice to meet you, son. Percy’s never brought a partner home before, it’s nice to see him happy.” He said.

“Thank you, sir.” Oliver said, his scottish accent thicker as his voice got quieter.

Molly still hadn’t said anything, and Percy looked at her across the table, trying to read her expression.

“Mum, please say something.” Percy said. She frowned.

“I’m disappointed in you,” She said. “I raised you to have proper manners. When you bring someone home, you come and introduce them to your Father and I, you don’t avoid us. You should know this better than all your siblings, you always had the best manners.”

“Mum, I swear, we hadn’t even been here for five minutes. They saw Oliver and wanted to catch up. We were coming to find you.” Percy said, then paused. “Wait so-you’re okay with me being gay?”

“Of course we are. Besides, I always suspected. A mother knows these things. You are who you are, and I know I raised you to treat the people you love with respect and kindness, no matter who that is.” Molly said, reaching across the table and squeezing her son's hand. “I wish you had told us sooner, but I’m glad you’re telling us now. And Oliver, thank you for the flowers, they’re beautiful.”

Oliver smiled at her, he had been worried the bouquet he’d brought was too ostentatious. 

“I’m sorry we didn’t come say hello straight away,” Oliver said. Molly got up and patted his cheek.

“It’s okay, love, I know what that motley crue is like. Now, off you go. Arthur, can you wrangle some help in getting the tables set up?” Molly moved past everyone and into the kitchen where the three men sat, shoulders sagging in relief.

“That went way better than expected.” Percy said. Oliver nodded, and reached for Percy’s hand, squeezing it.

“I told you it would. Let’s go help your Dad with those tables, I want to leave your Mum with a good impression of me.”

The rest of the evening went off with very little drama. Little Teddy Lupin was passed around, and learned how to change his hair colour to the same as whomever was holding him. Andromeda took him home early, giving Remus and Tonks some time to relax. The s’mores went off with few incidents, and Hermione was glad she’d bought triple the amount of supplies she thought she’d need.

At 11:30, the twins set off there fireworks display, which included custom fireworks of Harry growing up, a few of Hedwig that made Harry tear up, one of him flying, and the final one exploded to say “Happy Birthday Harry, The Boy Who Won’t Die” to which Harry laughed.

“Right then. Bedtime, I think.” Fred said, “We’ve got a big day tomorrow!” He and George stood to leave, hugging his mum and dad, shaking Olivers hand.

“Feel free to come by the opening tomorrow, but you’re family now, so don’t be surprised if you get put to work!” They told him. “Hermione, Ron, Harry and Ginny, we’ll see you lot at 930 right?”

The four nodded and said good night, getting ready to head to bed themselves, Fred watching Hermione as she stood and stretched, her top riding up her stomach just a little bit. George clapped him on the shoulder and looked at him, raising an eyebrow.

“Alright there, Freddie?” He asked. Fred nodded, following his brother to the apparition point. Flopping into bed, he rubbed his eyes, not able to get the image of the curly haired witch out of his head.

“I’m in trouble.” He thought.

**August 2nd, 630pm**

The last customer was finally out the door. George shut it and locked it, flipping the sign to CLOSED, and slumped against it, looking over his exhausted friends and staff. Verity had sat on the floor, back leaning against the cash desk, next to Lee, whose head was on her shoulder. Harry and Ginny were sprawled on the floor across from them,Ron was leaning against the banister, eyes closed, and if it wasn’t for the lack of snoring, he would have assumed his little brother was sleeping. Fred and Hermione had pulled the cash drawers and gone to lock everything up in the safe in the back. Before George could go follow and see if they needed help, they came back, each carrying a bottle of champagne.

“Oi. Can we have your attention?” Fred called. Hermione handed off her bottle to george, and went and helped Ginny up, the two girls wrapping there arms around the other girls waist.

“We’d just really like to say thank you. This was a huge endeavour and we couldn’t do it without your help!” Fred said. He and George popped the corks, and poured into glasses that Hermione had floated out with her.

“To a successful Grand Re-opening, and to the best family and friends we could ask for. Cheers!” George said. Everyone cheered, and toasted the reopen. Ginny turned to Harry for a kiss, and Hermione took a seat on the stool behind the till, sipping her champagne. Fred came and sat beside her, clinking his glass with hers.

“How are you doing, Mione?” He asked her, watching everyone else chat and laugh, sharing stories of the crazy day.

“Today was a really good day.” She told him, smiling. “Crazy, but good.”

“That’s not what I meant,” He said cautiously.

“I’m okay, Fred, I promise. Today was a good day, and being so busy helped. And lots of work to do to refill shelves. Being busy helps.” She told him, squeezing his hand. “Thank you for checking though. How are you doing?”

He took another sip of his champagne before answering.

“I’m...overwhelmed. Exhausted, happy, grateful. Four months ago we thought the shop would never reopen...now, I have my shop, my family, friends...it feels like a lot.” He told her. She smiled, resting her hand on his leg. A jolt went through him.

“It is a lot. But a lot of good!” She said. “ I know there are healers at St. Mungo’s, if you want to talk to them, but if you don’t feel comfortable, we can always talk. If you want.”

He smiled, but before he could reply, the floo turned green and Charlie stepped out.

“Mums making a feast for everyone to come and have to celebrate the re-opening. I was told to come get you, but I also have a letter for Hermione.” He said, handing her a thick envelope. She opened it cautiously, a little blue book falling out into her lap, and she read the letter quickly.

“It’s from Kingsley! The Australian Ministry has approved my travel request! And they’ve set me up an appointment to meet with an Auror, to see if they can help me find my parents!” She cried, excitedly. Ginny hugged her, excitedly.

“When do you leave?” Fred asked, his voice strained. Hermione glanced at Charlie.

“I have to be back on the reserve on September 13. So we’ll be leaving on the 12th, Hermione will crash in Romania for a night, and continue on to Australia the next day.” The elder weasley informed the group. She smiled at Fred.

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you’re well stocked before I go!” She laughed. “Now come on, let’s not keep Molly waiting!”

They hurried to the floo, and two at a time, headed to the Burrow for another amazing Molly Weasley dinner. Everyone celebrated, but Fred couldn’t help but feel sad at the thought of Hermione leaving in six weeks, and he wasn’t entirely sure it had anything to do with the shop.


	6. Dance, Dance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The entire gang goes dancing at a muggle club. Hermione says an important goodbye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you like this. I'm sorry my posting schedule is so erratic. I'm going to try and come up with a regular schedule before I go back to work in a bit, but right now I just sort of write when I can and when I feel like it. I hope you're all enjoying it so far.

**August 29 1998**

Hermione was sweaty, despite the fact she had barely anything on. A blue silky halter top, black denim cutoffs and a pair of heels that she knew would make it impossible for her to walk anywhere tomorrow. She was happy though. She had her arms around Ginny, and they were dancing like idiots, with Luna, Katie, Alicia and Angelina. They were all covered in glitter and there were bubbles floating around them from machines in the ceiling.

They were at a muggle club in London. Dean Thomas had set them up in the VIP section, his father and uncle owned the place. They had a private bar, their own bartender and waitress, couches, stools, everything to make them comfortable on a level above the main bar and dance floor. It was the last weekend of August, Ginny was leaving for Hogwarts with Luna on Tuesday, Harry and Ron were leaving the following Friday for the Auror Training Camp, and Hermione would be leaving in two weeks to go find her parents. It felt like the Graduation party she never got to have. 

Spice Girls was blaring from the speakers. The group of boys they’d come in with were upstairs watching them dance and taking advantage of the bar. Hermione and her girlfriends had barely sat down. Katie was twirling Alicia, Ginny moved to dance with Luna, and Angelina swayed over to Hermione, grabbing her arm and dancing with her. They glanced up to see Fred and George watching them from above. They waved, trying to convince them to come dance, but the twins shook their heads. Instead George head up his glass, pointed at them, and gave a thumbs up. The girls gave a thumbs up back, and he moved away from the railing to go get them another round. Fanning themselves, the six of them moved back upstairs to take a break.

Harry grabbed Ginny and pulled her on to his lap, making her laugh. They all scattered around the couches and Fred handed Hermion a vodka cranberry and she leaned against the railing. They had used magic to dim the music a bit so they could talk without shouting and he smiled at her.

“Having fun?” He asked her.

“Loads! But you should come dance!” She said, pretending to pout and sipping her drink. His eyes lingered on her lips as they met the rim of her glass, and he tried not to stare.

“I will when a good song comes on. I promise.”

“I’m holding you to that, Frederick. I want at least one dance from you before this night is over.” She said, her bossy attitude coming out. Before he could reply, they were called over to the rest of the group to do a round of shots of some kind of blue alcohol. Hermione glanced around the group, grinning like mad, amused that she finally had a group of people she could call friends and hang out with. Even Percy and Oliver were there, although Percy wasn’t drinking, maintaining someone needed to stay sober to keep an eye on them. Fred sat on the arm of the couch next to where Hermione was, George and Angelina were handing out shots, Luna was sitting on Rons lap whispering in his ear. Katie and Alicia were sitting on either side of Lee who had his arms around both girls, and Dean, Seamus and Neville were sitting on the same couch as Hermione, chatting about Quidditch and drinking beers.

“Oi, you lot, a toast eh?” George called out. Everyone turned, holding their blue shots, and looked at him and Angelina.

“To surviving. To the best of friends...and to me, spending my future with Angelina, who agreed to marry me today! Cheers” He said, raising his glass and downing his shot. As soon as they had done their shots, the girls all surrounded Angelina and George, hugging them and admiring her ring. Fred clapped George on the shoulder and pulled him out of the swarm, allowing the guys to offer their congratulations.

“The first of us to get married,” Oliver shook his head. “I can’t believe we’re even old enough.”

“Maybe we’ll be next,” Percy said, looking at Oliver. Oliver grinned and responded by kissing Percy as hard as he could. The single men of the group shook their heads. Lee laughed, and signalled the bartender for another round.

Suddenly Hermione appeared at Freds side.

“This is SUCH a great song to dance to! Please come, you promised.” She said, and he hesitated. Lee stood up and grabbed her hand.

“Come on Hermione, if he won’t come, let’s show them how it’s done.” 

Laughing, Hermione followed him down to the middle of the dance floor, spinning around so Lee could put his hands on her hips and pull her close, one of her hands on his shoulder and the other winding around his waist. They moved together like that for a minute, before she spun away from him and he caught her hand. They stayed apart from each other for a minute, feet and hips moving in the same pattern, before Lee pulled Hermione back in a spin, pulling her back to his chest. He ran his hands down her torso, grabbing her hips tight, and she wound her hands behind her head, waving them around. They were making quite the impression, the other dancers giving them a wide berth and watching as the two expertly moved to the beat. Apart, together. Hermione was grinding her hips into Lee, and they were laughing. 

From the VIP Balcony, Fred and George and the rest of their friends watched them, in awe.

“Who knew Lee could dance like that?” Katie asked, impressed. 

“Who knew Hermione could move like that?” Seamus asked, in awe of the way the curly haired witch was winding. Fred glared at him and his twin elbowed him, frowning. 

“You can’t be jealous if you haven’t made a move.” He said to Fred, before he grabbed Angelina’s hand, and pulling her down to the dance floor. The rest of the girls followed, those with boyfriends dragging them behind them. The song ended and Lee and Hermione spun back to each other laughing, the entire club cheering for them. They joined their friends, dancing as a big group, switching off partners, Katie moving herself in front of Lee, who grinned, and pulled her just as close as he had pulled Hermione. 

Hermione looked up to see Fred staring at her, a serious look on his face. She caught his eye and beckoned him down. He shook his head and she glared at him, frowning. He laughed, and she stopped dancing, standing in the middle of her friends, arms crossed and staring at him. Her friends laughed and shook their heads. Even Neville was dancing, Percy and Oliver were on the floor, only Fred was by himself upstairs. She glanced at her friends, who were laughing at her antics. She raised her eyebrow at him, and beckoned him again as a slower song came on. Fred sighed, and made his way down the stairs.

Hermione met him at the bottom grinning, and pulled him into the sweaty crowd. She twined her arms around his neck, while he cautiously placed his arms around her waist.

“See, this isn’t so bad!” She said, quietly, and he glanced into her sparkling brown eyes, and smiled.

“No, it’s not.” He said. She moved closer to him, so that her pelvis was pressed against his, and he tightened the grip he had around her, shifting his hands. He was letting her lead, and they swayed in the crowd.

“Are you having fun?” Hermione asked. He nodded, swallowing. He felt like he was in a trance. All he could smell was her lavender shampoo, he couldn’t look away from her eyes, and he felt the butterflies in his stomach flutter. Her lips were right there, pink and perfect and all he had to do was lean down and touch his to hers. Before he could though, the song changed back to something fast, and Hermione and Lee shouted excitedly. Hermione pulled away from Fred, but kept holding on to one of his hands.

“Just do what we do!” She shouted at him, and he couldn’t help but grin.

The song was loud and exuberant. She and Lee were in the middle of their friends, dancing, but she made sure Fred stayed close. They were shouting the lyrics to the song, arms in the air, and she turned and grinned at Fred. 

“JUMP, JUMP!” She shouted along with the song and jumped up and down, challenging him with a smile. Well, Fred Weasley never backed down from a challenge. He tuned in to the music and began to jump with the crowd, most of whom were now shouting the lyrics too.

Lee grabbed them both and pulled them forward, so they could dance with him and Alicia and Katie. Hermione laughed, her face shining with sweat and glitter. They stared at Hermione as she chanted along to the song that was more rapping than anything else. Lee high fived her as she didn’t miss a beat, and she turned back to Fred, making sure he was still there.

They stayed at the club for another two hours, taking shots, and dancing. Fred had no idea what he was doing, but the more he danced, the happier Hermione was, so he stayed on the floor as much as he could. Finally, at half past one, the group stumbled out into the street, laughing, and the girls singing along to the last song that had been playing.

“I don’t want no scrubs….sitting in the passenger seat of his best friend's riiide….” Hermione was laughing, arms linked with Angelina as they led the group down the street. Harry and Ginny were busy making out, and kept having to be hollered at to catch up and Lee and Dean were discussing the best place to get chips at that time. They waited until they got to an apparition point, ducking down an alleyway that was hidden from muggles, and they all laughed, trying to decide who was going where.

“Man, Hermione, you gotta come dancing again when you get home from Australia!” Katie said.

“Yeah, Mione, where’d you learn to dance like that anyways?” Ron asked, head hanging over Luna's shoulder. Hermione laughed and spun in her heels away from them, towards the railing over the river below them, raised her leg above her head, before spinning back with a flourish. They stared at her in shock.

“I wasn’t always in the library at Hogwarts, you know. I started dance training when I was 3 and my parents ensured I’d be able to continue to learn and practice when I was away at school.” She said, laughing and throwing her arms around Fred, who immediately put her arm around her waist, tugging her close.

“Let’s go get chips!” She said, moving the gaggle of drunk kids along.

///

Fred Weasley could not stop thinking about Hermione Granger, and it was a problem. When he saw brown hair in the shop and realised it wasn't her, he felt disappointed. The best part of his day was when she came into the back room to help make potions and other items for the shop. The worst part was when she put on her coat and flooed back to the Burrow at night, smiling and saying goodnight.

“You need to make a move,” George said one night, as they were eating dinner. Fred had stabbed half heartedly at his steak and kidney pie for the better part of half an hour.

“I can’t, George. She’s leaving soon. She’s going to find her parents and I don’t want her to have to be thinking about anything that could distract her while she is in Australia.” Fred replied. He’d thought about it a lot. Hermione was leaving to go find her parents in less than a week.

“Then stop pouting and eat your dinner. She’s coming back. If you still feel the same way about her then, you can tell her when she returns.” George told his twin, shrugging. Fred was stubborn and would do what he wanted, when he wanted.

Fred sighed, and took a bite of dinner. No matter what, he felt stuck and sad.

///  
**Sept 11 1998**

“I can’t believe this is my last day!” Hermione said, tying on her apron. The twins were in the store room, chopping potions ingredients, and they both frowned at her declaration. She moved over to the table, carrying a cardboard tray with her. 

“Here, take a quick break, I got us a nice pick me up, Peppermint Mochas from the cafe down the road. They’re my favourite but I only get them every once in a while because they have a lot of sugar in them.” She handed the cups around, and took a sip of hers, closing her eyes. Fred took a tentative sip, and was pleasantly surprised. He stared at Hermione as she drank hers, not able to take his eyes off her.

“What do you think?” She asked, excitedly. 

“Perfect,” He told her, eyes meeting hers. She smiled at him, and began to work on that day's potions.

The day went by in a blur, and before he knew it, the shop was locked and cleaned, and Hermione had hung up her apron for the last time, and was washing her hands.

“Stay and have a drink, won’t you?” George asked. “One before you leave us, and find some handsome lad down under, and decide to stay in the land of Dangerous Animals forever?”

She laughed at his cheeky grin, and followed him upstairs. They sat on the balcony, and George poured them all a round of firewhiskey.

“To Hermione. The best witch of our age, off on another adventure.” He said, and they clinked glasses. Downing it in one, George poured them another round. Hermione held her glass in her hand, settled back into the squishy couch in the sun, and leaned her head back. George nodded at his brother and cleared his throat.

“I just realised I forgot to do the apothecary order for tomorrow. You guys enjoy, and Mione, come say goodbye before you head home.”

George made a quick exit, hurrying away, leaving Fred alone with Hermione. He sat facing her, one arm on the back of the couch, firewhiskey glass in his other hand, resting on his knee.

“Knut for your thoughts?” He asked quietly. She shifted so her pose was mirroring his, knees touching and fingers millimetres apart.

“I’m afraid of losing my happiness” She told him quietly. “The past few months, I've been so happy. I’ve had fun with my friends, I’ve been doing work that is actually fun and interesting. I have real friends I can actually hang out with- I go shopping with Katie and Alicia, Angelina and I get coffee together, Luna and Ginny and I haven’t gone more than two days without seeing each other all summer. And now everything is changing. Quidditch training is started, Hogwarts is back in session, the boys are off at training, and I’m going to Australia and...and..”

Hermione stopped talking and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.

“And you don’t know what you’re going to find” Fred finished for her quietly. Hermione nodded and a tear slipped down her cheek. She brushed it away impatiently, and when she put her hand back down, Fred laced his fingers into hers.

“No matter what happens in Australia, you’re still coming back to that happiness. You’re still going to have coffee dates with Angelina, shopping trips, you will still get to hang out with Ginny and Luna when they aren’t in school. The Burrow, and the shop will still be here. So will George and I.” He told her. “That doesn’t go away, nothing takes that away. If the worst happens and...and you can’t find your parents, you still have people here who love you. You still have family who love you. You...you still have me.”

Hermione stared at him and then leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. He moved one hand around her and tugged her closer, kissing her back. She was on his lap, his hands tangled in her hair when she pulled away from him, almost panting. Neither of them spoke for a moment.

“That wasn’t fair. I should go.” She said, trying to move away from him, knocking her firewhiskey glass to the ground, spilling it. “Shit, I’m so sorry.”

Fred grabbed her arm and pulled her back to him, cleaning the mess with his wand and putting the glass on the table.

“What do you mean that wasn’t fair? Hermione, I’m not trying to stop you from going, I swear. I know how important this is to you.” He said, his voice thick with emotion. 

“I know you wouldn’t stop me, I meant it wasn’t fair to you.” She said, “Technically, you’re my boss, for one. And I am leaving tomorrow for Australia to find my parents, and I’m supposed to be back in October but...I don’t want you to be here for a month thinking you have to wait for me, or that I want something more than what we have, in case you don’t and...and what if I don’t come back? What if I stay?”

“What do you mean, what if you stay? You’re saying there’s a chance you might not come back?” He asked, his fears rising to the top.

“Maybe? I don’t know. I can’t rule out any possibilities. If I find my parents but they decide to stay in Australia, I might stay with them. I’m not sure.” She told him. Fred nodded.

“I see.” 

“Fred, don’t be mad, please.” She asked quietly. He shook his head.

“I could never be mad at you, Hermione. You’re doing what you need to, and I won’t stop you.” He stood and collected the glasses. “It’s getting late and I know you have to leave early, so you should go. Don’t forget to say goodbye to George. Have a safe trip.”

Fred moved into the kitchen, dropping the glasses in the sink, and then moved down the hall, shutting his bedroom door. Hermione wiped her face clean, and headed down to say good-bye to George, before heading to the Burrow. 

She felt like her trip was already off to a terrible start.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh Fred. Oh Hermione.  
> It's going to get worse from here for a bit. Don't hate me....hahaha
> 
> If you're interested, the song Lee and Hermione danced to was Ghetto Superstar by ODB, Maya and Pras. The second one, with everyone on the floor was Jump by Kriss Kross. 90s Music FTW!!!
> 
> See you soon!!!


	7. Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hermione finds a surprise in Australia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey!  
> Thanks for every ones patience with me. I got called back to work at the beginning of June and have had all of 3 days off since then! I hope you enjoy this little update, and I am going to try and update every other Sunday from now on!

Hermione sighed in the cool air of the hotel lobby. It was 230 in the afternoon in Melbourne, and she was completely frazzled. She had portkeyed through Europe to Romania, spent the night at the Reserve with Charlie, had breakfast there and then portkeyed through three more countries to get to Australia. Too many time zones in a short period of time, plus the heat in Australia, which she wasn’t used to, despite the fact for them it was still winter.

She headed up to the desk, passing them her ID and information for her reservation. She was staying at a Magical hotel, no muggles allowed, which she was grateful for. Kingsley had set up the reservation for her, and while she refused him paying for it, he still got her a hefty discount.

“Alright, Ms. Granger. You’re all checked in but your suite isn’t quite ready yet. If you want to relax, the bar is just through that doorway, and I will send one of the porters for you in about twenty minutes. Is there any luggage I can take for you?” The friendly check-in Witch asked. Hermione shook her head no. “Perfect. Now here is a list of amenities of the hotel, we do have a 24 hour pool area that is temperature controlled with a hot tub and sauna, a muggle style movie theatre, and a library that always has tea, coffee, and scones available for our guests. If you need anything, there is a bell you can ring and one of our staff or staff house elves will come and assist you.”

“You use house-elves here?” Hermione asked, her eyes narrowing. The Witch, who’s name tag read Dayle, laughed.

“Yes, Miss Granger, but we’ve been informed of your thoughts on that matter, and I can assure you, we are much more progressive here than a lot of the Magical World. All our elves are considered equal to our human staff, they are given accommodations, paid a fair wage, given one day off every week and one week of vacation per year, plus allowed to take advantage of all the hotels amenities, just as we would allow any of our staff.” Dayle informed her. “And before you ask, they were offered more time off. It was blatantly refused.”

Hermione grinned at the purple haired witch. Tonks would like her, she thought to herself.

“Thank you, Dayle. And please call me Hermione. I appreciate the information. I think i’m going to go find that bar now!” 

Dayle waived her off, promising to have someone come get her once her room was ready. Hermione stepped through into a stunning bar, decorated in silvers, blues and golds. She grabbed a stool at the sleek bar top, and perused the quick cocktail menu that floated over to her while she waited for the blond bartender to come take her order.

“What can I get you, Ms. Granger?” a familiar voice asked her. She looked up and dropped the menu she was holding.

“Malfoy?!” She asked, shocked. “What on earth are you doing here?”

He shrugged, pouring her a glass of cold water and setting it infront of her.

“I take it you just got here. Drink that, it will help you feel less...gross...from all the portkeying.” He told her, not unkindly. “I’m here because after the trial, there was nothing for my mother and I in England anymore. She’s moved to her family villa in Italy, and I needed a start where people didn’t really know me. I asked the Minister, and he helped me get a job and move out of England.”

Hermione nodded, sipping the ice cold water, which was helping her feel better. Malfoy gave her a small smile.

“I hope me being here won’t bug you?” He asked. She shook her head.

“No, Malfoy, I know you’re not...I know you only did what you did to survive.” She said, meeting his grey-blue eyes. He nodded tightly.

“I appreciate that. I know I wrote you after the trial to say thank you….but it really did help. I was ready to go to Azkaban, and I’d be there if it was for you and Potter and Weasley.” He said quietly, “ I don’t think I’ll ever be able to say thank you enough.”

“Malfoy...don’t. You didn’t have a choice, you were trying to survive. Just like any of us. In the end, you made the right choice.” She told him. “You don’t need to thank me.”

He smiled at her, a look of relief in his eyes.

“Right. Well then, Ms. Granger, what can I get you?” He asked, indicating the fully stocked bar behind him.

“What would you recommend?” She asked, closing the cocktail menu. He grinned.

“Let me make you something I think you’ll like. If you don’t, I’ll make you something else.” He turned, and began mixing, spinning bottles in his hand and pouring as fast as he could. If Hermione didn’t know better, she’d think he was trying to impress her. A moment later, he set down a cocktail with layers of pink and gold floating in it. Hermione took a sip and practically moaned.

“Oh Merlin, that’s good!” She said. “What is that?”

“Passionfruit and lychee martini. It’s my favourite, actually.” He said. She raised her eyebrows.

“I figured you’d be more of a firewhiskey and beer person.”

“Some of us have better taste than your red headed boyfriend, Granger.” Malfoy teased her, but the malice she had come to expect was gone.

“That’s good to know. For the record though, I don’t have a boyfriend, red headed or otherwise.” She said, a pang of guilt hitting her when she thought of Fred.

“Girlfriend?” Draco asked. She shook her head laughing at him. He shrugged.

“Wouldn’t have surprised me,” He told her. She drained the rest of her martini before answering.

“How progressive of you, Malfoy.” She told him, as he grabbed her dirty glass to wash it. He laughed.

“You’d be surprised, Granger.” He told her. Just then, a porter appeared at her side.

“Ms. Granger, your room is ready. If you’d like to follow me, I can show you the way.” He said, smiling. She nodded, reaching for her wallet to pay Malfoy for the drink. He waived it away.  
“It’s on me,” He told her. “I’ll see you around, Granger.”

She nodded, thanking him and followed the porter, who led her to her suite on the second floor down from the top. He explained that the top floor was used for the Owlery, but not to worry, there were silencing charms, so she’d never be disturbed. He opened the door for her, handing her the charmed key card, and bowing when she said she wouldn’t need anything else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this was so short! I will hopefully have an update for you guys on the 5th, and then again 2 weeks from then! Let me know what you think!


	8. Unexpected Invitation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Draco extends an olive branch to Hermione. She gets more than she expected when she accepts it!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my gosh look! I updated!  
> I'm so sorry for not updating when I said I would. I spent basically all of July working and travelling back and forth between my hometown and my best friends house to help her out with her kids. So I had no time to write! I'm sorry!
> 
> I'm gonna try and get back on to some kind of a schedule, but I got accepted to the Uni program I applied for and it starts in a month, so i have no idea what it's going to be like. It's only part time which is nice, but again, no idea what my life will be like!
> 
> Hope everyone is doing well, and staying safe where ever you are!!

Hermione had only seen Malfoy in passing over her first few days in Australia. She had spent 3 days in an office at the Australian Ministry, working with an Auror assigned to mIssing persons. They were mapping out locations she’d find her parents, from most likely to least likely. They were waiting on delivery of muggle telephone books from around the country, so they could search through them for anyone listed under the name Wilkins or any dental practices that might have a Dr. Wilkins working there.

The Auror helping Hermione, a Katy Kerr, told her not to worry about coming into the office there first friday together. The offices closed early, and until they had the phone books, there wasn’t much more they could do. Thursday night found Hermione, sitting alone, in the hotel library, drinking tea and reading up on local Australian magic and customs.

“Ever the bookworm, hey Granger?” she heard a drawl from the doorway. She glanced up to see Malfoy, leaning against the doorframe. His tie was loosened around his neck, white sleeves rolled up to his elbows, smirking at her. Hermione couldn’t help but think he looked rather attractive.

“You should talk. I know you and I were practically neck and neck for marks at Hogwarts. I saw you in the library just as often as you saw me.” She taunted back, and he laughed. “And...it’s Hermione.”

“Well then, Hermione, it’s almost dinner time and my shifts just ended. Would you maybe...i mean you don’t have to, but if you’d like to join me for dinner...you’d be welcome.” He said, suddenly looking nervous. Just then her stomach rumbled. “And call me Draco”

“That could be fun. Thank you, Draco. Should I change?” She asked, indicating her light blue v-neck and mid thigh length black skirt, and sandals. He shook his head.

“Nope, we’re going super casual. It’s not even a far walk.” 

Hermione grabbed her bag, pulling it over her shoulders, and followed him out through the lobby of the hotel. He waved to Dayle who waved back, and then catching Hermiones eye, she winked. Hermione shook her head, and hurried out in to the late afternoon sunshine. They walked in relative silence until the end of the block, until he grabbed her hand and pulled her down a path she had never noticed before. She felt the pressure of magical wards around her as they walked through the gate, and he dropped her hand after.

“Sorry. I should have warned you. I didn’t remember until we were about to walk through that the wards only let magical people through who live in the neighbourhood, or have been allowed access by the Watch.” He said, sheepishly.

“It’s fine, Malf-Draco.” She said. “It’s kind of relieving to know we are going somewhere...protected.”

He glanced at the spot where her glamoured scar was and nodded, his shoulders sagging. Before she could say anything, they turned a corner and she gasped. 

Right in front of her was a fantastic view of St Kilda beach, the sun causing the water to dazzle spectacularly. There were only a few people on the sand, unlike other days she had seen the beach, it had been packed.

“This section of the beach is private, again, only for people allowed in our community. It’s pretty much just hotel staff and families, a few of the younger ministry workers, and Junior Aurors.” He informed her, leading her down a set of stairs. “The houses are all rentals, and a lot of them are seasonal. Some of the staff only work for the tourist season which is about October to April. Some of them, like Dayle, are around our age and have just finished school but haven’t decided on a career and just want to work for awhile and save up.”

Hermione looked around, smiling as she saw a few young kids running up and down the boardwalk chasing each other. Draco led her down the boardwalk, waving and nodding to a few people as he passed. 

“It must be nice for you to be here,” Hermione said. “Having the anonymity, I mean.”

“Yeah...it is.” He glanced at her arm again. “I mean...I’m not trying to hide you know? I just know, I wouldn’t really get anywhere in England for the next few years and I wanted to figure the world out for myself.”

Hermione nodded at his words, and a relieved look crossed his face.

“I get it. I’ve spent most of the summer drinking or working on products for the Twins shop. Everyone has expected me to go back to Hogwarts or get a ministry job...but I want to just enjoy being a kid a little longer.” She told him, quietly.

“ We’re here, but I want to get back to the fact your working at a Joke Shop.” Draco said, leading her up a short path to a little white and blue bungalow. He opened the door, and gestured for her to enter. She stepped inside the little entryway, and slipped her sandals off, putting them on the shoe mat she noticed. Draco smiled, and followed suit. They stepped up a few steps and into what seemed to be a small living room.

“I’m home, and I brought company.” He called out. 

“Oh he must have a roommate, probably someone from the hotel” Hermione thought, but the head that poked around the corner was not one she was expecting to see.

“Oh hey, how was woooorkkkk” Blaise Zabini stumbled over the last word when he realized exactly who Draco had brought home. He stepped out of what Hermione assumed to be the kitchen and walked down the short hallway.

“Uh, Granger. Hi. It’s nice to see you. Draco mentioned he was going to ask you over for dinner. Just wasn’t sure if you’d come, to be honest.” He told her, seeming apprehensive, extending his hand to shake. She shook it, and smiled at him.

“Please, we aren’t at school. It’s Hermione. And thank you for having me.” She said, hoping her tone conveyed her sincerity. Blaise smiled at her and then at Draco.

“Right, well I’m just about to get cooking. Draco, darling, go change, and join us on the patio. I’ll get Hermione a drink and settled.” He said, leaning forward and pecking the blond on the lips, before indicating Hermione should follow him down the hallway. Draco blushed at Hermione raised her eyebrows at them.

“Oh...uh...I take it she didn’t know.” Blaise said. They glanced uncertainly at Hermione.

“I’m glad you have both found love.” She said, smiling. “It doesn’t matter who it’s with. It doesn’t bother me.”

The boys faces lit up, and they squeezed each others hands. Draco headed to his room to get changed, and Hermione followed Blaise down the hall. They had a spacious and bright kitchen, with a little table in the corner and two chairs tucked into it. There was a big window over the sink, and at the other end of the room was a set of french doors leading on to a patio. It overlooked the beach, and she could smell the fresh ocean scent.

“Red or white?” Blaise asked Hermione, pulling out a wine glass for her. She stood awkwardly in the kitchen, looking around.

“Oh, erm, white please...if it’s not too much trouble.” She said timidly. Here she was, in a foreign country, in the home of the children of former Death Eaters….her heart rate began to pick up rapidly. Blaise pulled the bottle out of the fridge, showed her the label, and made a show of opening it and pouring.

“Draco refuses to drink from unsealed bottles. So I like to make sure everyone we have over is comfortable with what I’m serving.” Blaise told her, quietly, raising an eyebrow at her. She smiled softly.

“I appreciate it...I think...we all have a few hang ups” She replied. Blaise gave her a half smile, and put the bottle back in the fridge, resealing it with a tap of his wand. Draco entered the room, in a powder blue polo shirt and khaki linen bermuda shorts. He smiled at Hermione, and grabbed himself a beer from the fridge, flipping the top off with a lighter. Blaise rolled his eyes.

“Do you mind if I smoke, Hermione?” He asked, as they all headed out to the patio. Draco pulled out a silver engraved cigarette case, and tapped it. She shook her head, and he stepped over to the railing where there was already an ashtray waiting. Blaise frowned.

“You better brush your teeth and wash your hands before dinner and bed. That’s a disgusting smell.” The dark skinned boy called to his boyfriend, who rolled his eyes.

“I know the drill. I’m sorry if the smell bothers you, Hermione.”

“It’s okay. It reminds me of my family...my grandad used to smoke and his shirts always smelled like tobacco. I wish I had saved some of them before…” She trailed off, getting quiet, not wanting to bring up the war. She looked down and took a big gulp of her wine. Blaise glanced at Draco who took a drag and exhaled through the corner of his mouth.

“Hermione, the war only ended four months ago. Most of us...we’re still facing it, we’re not even moving forward, and we were in the middle of it. You’re not going to be able to avoid talking about it, so please don’t censor yourself on our behalf.” He told her. She nodded, and he squashed his cigarette, before joining them at the table and continuing.

“I wrote to you after the trial but...I don’t know how I can ever make amends to you for what happened. I should have...I should have stopped my aunt, or fought harder, or been nicer…” Draco trailed off and looked at his boyfriend helplessly.

“Draco has a lot of regrets, Hermione.” Blaise told her, glancing at her face. “ A lot of us slytherin kids do. We...we knew what our families were doing was wrong, but there was no way we could stand up to our parents. Not when You-Know-Who was living in our houses, controlling all our assets, doing whatever he wanted. It was terrifying….I don’t have to tell you that though.” He stopped, taking a sip, squeezing Dracos hand. “Even Hogwarts wasn’t safe for us. Everyone hated us, our families had house elves spying on us, we didn’t know who we could trust. We had to be perfect no matter what, otherwise...who knows what would have happened.”

Hermione brushed a tear away impatiently. She was sad, and she was angry.

“We were all just fucking children.” She said. “In the muggle world, a lot of us wouldn’t even be considered legal adults. And we’ve spent our childhoods fighting a war our parents started. I can’t blame you-any of you- for what you did to survive. Godric knows, I’m not innocent either. I did what I had to do to stay alive, to keep Harry alive.” 

Hermione took a big gulp of her wine, almost emptying her glass, brushing more tears away, and looking in to Dracos eyes.

“I can’t say right now that I totally forgive you for everything. We had a lot of bad blood between us, even before the War started. But I can say I understand where you were coming from, and that I am working to forgive you. And I hope...I hope you can forgive me too. For what I did to your house, and your family. For all the bad blood between us. I mean, obviously we don’t know each other all that well, and I know you’re not the same person you were at Hogwarts, so maybe we can get to know each other and try to move forward.”

She smiled weakly at him, and he brushed his eyes, angry that he was crying.

“Man, I figured we’d at least be on our second glasses of wine before the tears started!” The blond joked. “But I’d like to try to move forward and get to know who you really are, too”

Blaise raised his glass, and Hermione and Draco followed suit. They toasted to new beginnings, and Blaise got up to light the barbecue.

“So Draco never told me why you’re here, Hermione.” Blaise said, refilling her glass. She paused, the glass at her lips, before putting it down.

“I’m looking for my parents,” She told them, taking a risk at being honest.

“You put them into hiding in Australia? That’s pretty smart.” Draco said, impressed. “Can’t you just send an Owl and get the address?”

She shook her head, watching Blaise lay steaks across the grill and close the lid. Draco got up to have another cigarette. They watched her as she fidgetted with her hands, and didn’t answer.

“It’s not that simple is it?” Blaise asked her. She shook her head.

“I...I did something.” She whispered. The boys glanced at each other and looked at her.

“Something bad?” 

“No..well maybe? They might be mad. If they ever find out.” She said.

“Maybe we can help? We might seem like dolts, but we are both pretty smart.” Blaise joked, making Hermione laugh.

“Of course you’re not dolts. We were the top three in our year, our last three years at school you know.” She said, chuckling. “I don’t know if you can. Maybe? I’m working with an Auror here.”

“Did you murder them and bury them here? Because even we don’t dabble in necromancy, Hermione.” 

The joke coming from Draco made her laugh suddenly.

“I didn’t murder them. I promise.” She took a deep breath and steadied her gaze. “I wiped there memories. I took myself out of them and convinced them that they were a childless couple who wanted to move to Australia, under different names and passports.”

The boys glanced at her and then each other. Draco frowned.

“That doesn’t seem too bad. A locator spell, we should be able to track them down and restore the memories.”

She shook her head.

“It wasn’t a simple obliviate.” She told them. Blaise frowned, and went back to the grill. Draco stilled at the railing.

“You said you wiped and replaced there memories?” He clarified. She nodded. “You used a Cognitive charm, didn’t you?”

Hermione nodded. She knew when she had performed the magic that it was dangerous. Even much more experienced Wizards and Witches had trouble with it. It had to be applied in layers, over several weeks. It had to be done consistently, by the same person, at specific time increments. It had taken Hermione four weeks to do it.

“Well.” Draco said. “It’s only been a year. Usually anything under five years can be repaired.”

“It’s been three years, actually. I did it the summer between 5th and 6th year.” She confessed, before clapping her hand over her mouth. Draco stared at her.

“You wiped your parents memories with a complicated charm that most Unspeakables can’t even perform, when you were fifteen?” 

“Well, I was already 16 actually, my birthday is in September.” She said. “But yes. I decided after the fight at the ministry I needed to get them out safely, as soon as possible, but if I told them what was happening, they would have taken me away.”

Blaise shook his head, flipping the steaks. Draco swallowed the last of his beer, eyeing her up.

“You really are the most brilliant witch of our age, aren’t you?” He said. “Don’t worry though. We’ll help you. We have lots of books on complicated magic, if the Aurors here can’t find or fix them, we will be able to figure out a way.”

“Draco’s right. But I have a more important question. You said your Birthday was September. What day in September?” Blaise inquired.

“Oh, the 19th, it’s way off still” She said. Blaise dropped the lid of the grill.  
“Way off? Hermione, the 19th is tomorrow!” he exclaimed.

“Right. Dancing tomorrow. I’ll get the lads together.” Draco said, clapping his hands. “We’re taking you to the bar with us. Don’t argue.”

“Oh no. please no. Don’t make a fuss. I’d have nothing to wear anyways!” She exclaimed.

“Perfect! We can go shopping!” Blaise said, his eyes lighting up. He served dinner, straight from the grill, and refilled her glass.

“What bar are we going to then? I need to know what to shop for.” She asked.

“Tacky’s!” Blaise and Draco said at the same time, smiling at each other.

“What is Tacky’s?” She asked, putting a bite of steak in her mouth, and almost moaning at the flavour.

“It’s our favourite bar, it’s wear we go with all the lads.” Draco said.

“Oh, and it’s a gay bar.” Blaise dropped on her, casually, grinning as she choked on her steak.

Hermione stared. What had she gotten herself into with these boys, she wondered.


End file.
